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JOHN  ELU8  COULTER  COLUECTtON 
1861  - 1947 


cons:   tution 


ST.  STEPHEN'S  EV.  .ttJTH.  CONGREGATION, 

CATAWBA   CO.,     N.    C. 

PRV   tVMBLE. 

- 

Wc  the  undersigned  m*  rubers  of  the  Ev.  Lutheran 
Church,  sensible  of  our  spiritual  needs  and  mindful  of 
our  Christian  duties,  in  Jesus'  name  and  with  the  hope 
of  His  blessing,  adopt  the  ubjoined  Constitution,  there- 
by to  perfect  the  organization  of  a  church  in  which  we 
hope  God  to  be  both  our  Saviour  and  our  Lord  and  we 
his  people,  praying  that  Je  will  graciously  multiply 
and  prosper  us  to  the  prai:  $  of  His  great  name.     Amen. 

CHA  TER  I. 

TKKNAME. 

The  name  of  this  cor%r«  gation  shall  be  St.  Stephen's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation. 

CHA)  TER  II. 

THK  I      c TRINE. 

Art.  i.  This  congreg  don  confesses  the  canonical 
Books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  to  be  the  inspired 
word  of  God  and  therefou  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  life. 
It  also  confesses  the  conf  sional  writings  of  the  Ev. 
Luth.  Church  as  container1  in  the  Book  of  Concord  of  the 
year  1580  to  be  a  correct  interpretation  of  this  word. 

Art.  2.  Doctrines  and  practices  in  conflict  with  this 
confession  shall  not  be  to!   rated  in  this  congregation. 


CHAP!   ,R  III. 

THE  MEMi     5RSHIP. 

Art.  i.     Only  those  pers*   <s  can  become  and  be  mem- 
bers  of  this  congregation : 

a.  who  are  baptized, 

b.  who  unreservedly  m  *ept  as  their  own  the  con- 
fession of  faith  as  la,  d  down  in  the  second  chap- 
ter of  this  constituti  mi, 

c.  who  abstain  from  th  manifest  works  of  the  flesh 
(Gal.  5:  19 — 21)  and  lead  a  Christian  life, 

d.  who  do  not  in  any  way  enccourage,  or  affiliate 
with,  any  uagicwtry  society, 

e.  who  agree  to  subject  themselves  to  the  regula- 
tions adopted  by  the  congregation  not  in  con- 
flict with  the  word  of  God,  and  to  Christian  Dis- 
cipline as  laid  down  in  Math.  18. 

Art.  2.  New  members  can  be  received  at  any  regular 
meeting  of  the  congregation.  Such  applicants  as  come 
provided  with  letters  of  dismissal  from  a  congregation  in 
full  union  of  faith  and  practice  with  this  congregation 
shall  be  received  at  once.  Others  may  be  proposed  by 
any  voting  member  for  reception.  After  their  names 
have  been  proposed  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  pastor  and 
church-council  to  examine  tHjfe  applicant  in  regard  to  his 
(or  her)  faith,  and  to  report  :u  the  next  regular  meeting 
of  the  congregation,  when  final  action  shall  be  taken  on 
his  (or  her)  reception  into  the  congregation.  All  newly 
received  members  of  the  cong  negation  shall  be  announced 
from  the  pulpit  at  the  first  sr  rvice  after  their  reception. 
All  newly  received  male  members  shall  subscribe  the 
constitution  of  the  congregation.  The  names  of  female 
members  shall  be  entered  on  the  church-record  by  the 
secretary. 


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Art.  3.     It  shall  be  the  .duty  of  each  member: 

a.  to   attend    the   public    services  as    regularly  as 
possible, 

b.  to  participate  as  often  as  possible  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Supper, 

c.  to  register  his  (or  her)  name  as  a  communicant 
previous  to  Confession  and  Absolution , 

d.  to  bring  his  children  to  the  Lord  in  Holy  Bap- 
tism, 

e.  to  send  them  to  the  pastor  for  religious  instruc- 
tion, 

f.  to  contribute  according  to  his  means  toward  the 
support  of  the  minister  as  well  as  toward  the 
other  expenses  of  the  congregation. 

Art.  4.  All  confirmed  male  members  who  are  not 
under  discipline  shall  receive  the  right  to  vote  and 
hold  office. 

Art.  5.  Any  member  violating  any  of  the  principles 
laid  down  in  the  first  and  third  articles  of  this  chapter 
shall  be  dealt  with  according  to  Matthew  18. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  PASTOR. 

The  office  of  Pastor  in  this  congregation  can  be  com- 
mitted to  such  a  minister  only  as  acknowledges  all  the 
canonical  books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  as  the 
j  revealed   Word  of  God,   and  the  collective  symbolical 
books  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,   as  drawn 
x  from  the  Word  of  God  and   named  in  chapter  II.,  to 
L  which  he  is  to  bind  himself 'in  accepting  the  call. 


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CHAPTER  V. 

POWERS    OF  THE   CONGREGATION. 

The  congregation,  as  a  bod)  has  the  highest  power 
in  the  management  of  all  internal  and  external  ecclesi- 
astical and  congregational  affairs;  no  arrangement  or  de- 
cision for  the  congregation  or  Yor  a  church  member  as 
such  has  any  validity,  whether  it  proceed  from  an  indi- 
vidual or  from  a  body  in  the  congregation,  if  it  is  not 
made  in  the  name  of,  and  according  to  the  general  or 
particular  authority  given  by  the  congregation ;  and  that 
which  is  arranged  or  decided  by  individuals  or  small 
bodies  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  congre- 
gation, may  at  any  time  be  brought  before  the  congre- 
gation, as  the  highest  tribunal,  for  final  decision.  Nev- 
ertheless the  congregation  has  no  right  to  arrange  or 
decide  anything  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God  and  the 
symbols  of  the  pure  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church; 
should  she  do  so,  all  such  arrangements  are  null  and 
void. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CHURCH  COUNCIL. 

Art.  i.  The  Church  Council  shall  consist  of  the  Pas- 
tor, who  is  ex-officio  president,  four  Elders  and  four  Dea- 
cons, and  four  Trustees. 

Art.  2.     It  shall  be  the  duty: 

a.  of  the  Elders  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  church  discipline  and  to  perform 
such  services  as  may  be  needed  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Holy  Sacrament  and  in  vis- 
iting the  sick  and  afflicted  and  in  general  to  do 
all  in  their  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
congregation,  and  as  ex  officio  Trustees  to  take 


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charge  of  all  deeds  and  other  valuable  papers  of 

the   congregation,   and  to  be  its  representatives 

at  law. 

I 
b.     of   the  Deacons,  faithfully  to  distribute  the 

moneys  collected  for  the   support  of  the  poor, 

and  to  collect  necessary  means  for  the  support 

of  the  pastor  and  other  necessary  expenses  of 

the  congregation. 

Art.  3.  The  general  duties  of  the  Council  are  to  see 
that  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  congregation  be 
carried  out,  and  to  see  that  church  discipline  be  properly 
exercised  on  all  members  who  hold  erroneous  views  with 
regard  to  doctrines  of  the  church,  or  live  in  open  vice. 

Art.  4.  The  election  of  new  members  of  the  Council 
to  fill  vacancies  shall  be  held  in  any  regular  congrega- 
tional meeting;  the  Elders  and  Deacons  shall  be  elected 
for  an  indefinite  time. 

Art.  5.  Two-thirds  of  the  Council  with  the  Pastor 
(except  when  the  pastorate  is  vacant)  shall  constitute  a 
quorum. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Art.  1.  The  congregation  elects  one  Secretary  and 
one  Treasurer.  v 

Art.  2.  Should  at  any  time  a  separation  take  place  in 
the  congregation  (which  God  forbid  !),  the  church  prop- 
erty and  all  its  advantages  shall  belong  to  'that  party 


which  remains  faithful  to  this  constitution  and  binds  its 
pastor  to  do  the  same. 

Art.  3.  By-laws  and  amendments  to  this  Constitution 
may  be  made  at  any  regular  congregational  meeting  by 
a  vote  of  not  less  than  two-thirds  of  the  members  pres- 
ent; provided,  however,. that  the  subject  matter  of  such 
by-law  or  amendment  be  published  to  the  congregation 
at  least  two  weeks  beforehand. 

Art.  4.  The  above  regulation  applies  to  all  the  arti- 
cles of  this  constitution  except  Chapter  II.  Chapter  III, 
Articles  1,  3,  and  5;  Chapter  IV;  Chapter  V;  and  Chap- 
ter VII,  Article  4,  which  are  unchangeable. 


BY-LAWS. 

i .  There  shall  be  four  regular  congregational  meet- 
ings during  the  year,  to  be  held,  on  the  third  Sunday 
in  January  and  every  three  months  thereafter;  and  one- 
half  of  the  voting  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum, 
provided  that  each  one  absent  send  a  valid  excuse  or  be 
counted  as  consenting,  (i.  e.  Every  absent  member  not 
sending  a  valid  excuse  is  looked  upon  as  being  present.) 

2,  Special  meetings  of  the  congregation  may  be 
called  by  the  pastor  at  any  time;  it  shall  be  his  duty, 
however,  to  do  so  when  requested  by  the  Council  or  by 
three  church  members. 


